I just came across an article on nytimes.com which I agree with quite a bit.

It’s general underlying statement is really that we shouldn’t be so hung up on the organic thing, we should first be making sure we are eating better.  I couldn’t agree more, especially when the article says “we get 7% of our calories from soft drinks, more than we do from vegetables“.

Although it would be great if everyone was eating organic, growing our own vegetables and thinking about our impact on the earth, some of us aren’t in a position to do any of those things and even if we were, the first focus of a healthy eating and living lifestyle should be to make sure we are eating fruits and vegetables, regardless of whether they are organic or not. 

When we are at a point of being able to say to ourselves we have a balanced, nutritious diet full of fruits and vegetables, then we can start addressing the issue of organic or homegrown produce.

If non-organic is all we can afford while we make a transition to a higher fruit/vegetable diet than we shouldn’t worry too much about pesticides and airmiles (until we are in a more stable position with our eating habits to take it on) because it is a MUCH better improvement than the hormones and toxins that are in the meat we eat.  Cutting down on meat and consuming more fruits and vegetables is a great start but we can overcomplicate it at first if we focus on the wrongs things.

Our health should come first, then the environment.  Once we are able to take care of ourselves and nourish our bodies, we can then take care of the environment and make better choices for the world we live.

So if you aren’t a big fruit or vegetable eater work on that first.  Then work on whether you want to switch to organic or homegrown food.

 

Full article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/weekinreview/22bittman.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

 

 

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